Oil symbolizes something more… as do the Sacraments

Here we are in the second week of spring, but the temperatures have felt more like winter. It has certainly been a difficult winter for those who do not like the cold! Cold weather can really take its toll on our skin. Going from the frigid temperatures outside to the dry heat inside causes cracking and easily cuts on our skin especially the hands. What everyone stocks up on to overcome this is lotion, which adds moisture and heals wounds. One of the main ingredients in lotion is oil. Plain oil has been used for thousands of years for a variety of purposes. It was for the ancients a symbol of health, healing, and, also, wealth. They would use this simple material in everyday meals, to heal those who had been injured, and to anoint their kings. In fact, in our first reading today David is anointed as King by Samuel.

Our Religion is very symbolic. We believe that Christ used ordinary things of this earth to transmit grace and be a physical symbol of what is occurring spiritually. This happens in all the Sacraments. The best example is the Holy Eucharist. Through the words of institution, ordinary bread becomes the Body and Blood of the Lord. Physical sustenance symbolizes a deep interior nourishment which is occurring in the soul of those who receive the Eucharist worthily.

In another Sacrament, Anointing of the Sick, ordinary oil is used by the priest to anoint those seriously ill on the forehead and the palms of the hands (as well as the afflicted area). The words of the priest are, “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in His love and mercy help you with His grace. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.” The symbol of oil makes us realize that God is really bringing healing and strength into our lives through this Sacrament. As with the Man Born Blind in the Gospel, the Lord comes to us in our deepest hour of need.

“Is anyone sick among you?”

The ancients believed that God allowed or caused illness because of one’s sin, but Jesus debunks this false teaching. The Lord exclaims that illness is allowed “to show the glory of God.” Sickness and suffering shows that God works best through weakness. The Lord uses illness to lead us to deeper and deeper acts of charity for our neighbor.

In the Letter of James it says, “Is anyone sick among you?” “Let them call the priest of the Church and then pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” So Jesus sent out the first priests, the apostles, out two by two to heal the sick. In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick this healing ministry continues to this day. Anyone in the State of Grace with serious illness or old age can receive the Sacrament.

Healing, both spiritual and physical

Through it they will receive healing of body, mind, and soul. At times this healing in manifested in real physical miracles. Only God can perform miracles of healing and they often take place only overtime. These can be healings of a physical nature, but the greatest are spiritual healings which lead us into greater union with God and His bride, the Church. The Man Born Blind slowly comes to be healed of a deep blindness of the soul. Though the passage, he comes to recognize Jesus as a prophet and, finally, as the Son of God. Yes, the Blind Man gains physical sight, but the greatest miracle comes in his ability to see Jesus as the Savior of the World and to be invited into a deeper relationship with God.

So when we or a loved one are facing serious illness let us never forget this powerful Sacrament. The first thing we should do after seeing the doctor is to call a priest; make a good confession and receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

Jesus still performs miracles today! He can do it through many different means, but He most often works through the Sacraments He has instituted. In Anointing of the Sick, we can be healed physically, but especially spiritually. Jesus gives us a vision to see the world in a totally new way: to see the Lord as present in every aspect of our life striving to give us healing and strength, leading us into a deeper relationship with the Trinity.